Archive

Since I moved to Norfolk in September 2006, the 16 identical bungalows on Ethel Avenue have been whispering my name, and imploring me to come close, and learn more about their unique origins. Problem was, I could never quite make out what they were saying.

Someone in town said the houses were built at the 300th anniversary fair at Jamestown (1904) and moved from that site to their resting place in Riverview (Norfolk). That didn’t ring true, because these little bungalows were more typical of the 1910s. And somewhere, we heard that there had been a DuPont factory in Penniman, Virginia (about 30 minutes from Norfolk), and that the houses might have come from the factory at Penniman.

And then I started doing research on Hopewell, Virginia and learned that it had also been the site of a DuPont munitions factory. So I drove around Hopewell, trying to find our “Ethels” (as they came to be known).

*David Spriggs and Mark Hardin have done most of the research on this subject. On this project, I’ve been the blog writer and photo taker!

On the left is a vintage picture of a Dupont Design (The Haskell) that was built in Old Hickory, TN. On the right is a house in Norfolk (on Major Avenue). We're now certain that these houses came from Penniman (site of a Dupont Munitions Factory) and floated by barge to this location. According to an article in the "Richmond News Leader" (June 1938) there are 51 of these homes in Norfolk, in varying designs. Thus far, we've found more than 45 of these homes.

Vintage photo of Old Hickory (site of a Dupont Munitions Plant in Tennessee) shows two of the eight housing styles found there. These are the same two housing styles found on Major Avenue and Glenroie Avenue in Norfolk, VA.

This little Dutch Colonial was one of the "Dupont Designs" found in Old Hickory, TN. Note the narrow windows by the front door. We've now learned that this house style was named "The Georgia."

There are nine of these "Georgia" (Dupont' designs) on Major Avenue and Glenroie Avenue in Norfolk. These Norfolk houses are a perfect match to the houses in Old Hickory, TN.

Note the long, thin tall windows flanking the front door.

One of the many Georgias from DuPont found in Norfolk.

The Cumberland was one of 12 designs created by Dupont and found in both Norfolk and Old Hickory. There are two of these on Major Avenue (Norfolk).

And here's one of two Cumberlands on Major Avenue. It is a perfect match to the Dupont Cumberland found in Old Hickory, TN.

The other Cumberland on Major Avenue.

This is the two-story house (ensconced in the land of Ethels) in Norfolk. Note the tall thin attic window which is a perfect match to the Old Hickory house above. There are other architectural features which lead us to believe that this is also a "Dupont Design." This house was floated by barge to its location here in Norfolk. This is a big house to move!

Close-up of the attic window found on all the two-storyy Dupont designs.

It all started with these little bungalows that we've named, The Ethels. There are 16 of these in Riverview (Ethel Avenue) and two in Highland Park (51st Street) in Norfolk.

I spent many hours of my life, poring through old mail order catalogs, trying to identify these bungalows as kit homes. And it turns out, they were built by Dupont for their employees at Penniman (Virginia). Dupont had a massive munitions plant there in Penniman, and after it was closed, the houses were shipped out to other cities, including Norfolk. That's where these "Ethels" came from.

And there are dozens of "Ethels" in Dupont, Washington, site of another Dupont Munitions plant. This Ethel is in Dupont, Washington (and shares the neighborhood with 100 identical twins).

This dormer window on these "Ethels" is a pretty distinctive feature.

If you have any information about the houses in Old Hickory, please leave a comment below.

And there was an employee newsletter called, “The Projectile,” which featured a story on the building of these houses. That would also be an incredible resources. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

In downtown Hopewell, not too far from the water, there’s an impressive collection of early 1910s Aladdin Kit Homes. While the city of Hopewell has put its focus on their eight Sears Homes in Crescent Hills, they’ve well-nigh ignored these many blocks of little Aladdin Homes.

The eight Sears Homes in Crescent Hills are fine-looking residences. The cluster of Aladdin homes are definitely more modest, but they also have a story to tell. They tell about Dupont coming to Hopewell in the early 1900s and building a factory and creating jobs and investing in modest homes for their workers.

And it’s a part of Hopewell’s history that’s getting lost - quickly. Judging by the landscape in this neighborhood (where the Aladdin Homes are located), countless numbers of these modest homes have already been leveled. Perhaps as people become aware that this is a piece of Hopewell’s history, the rest of these houses might be spared.

Part 1 (click here) focused on the many Aladdin Edisons in this part of town. In Part 2, we’ll focus on the Aladdin Plymouth and the Aladdin Burbank. This area has countless examples of both houses, but due to heavy traffic, late afternoon sun and general malaise, I was only able to photograph a handful. If you know of the location of other houses in Hopewell that look like these, drop me a line.

As mentioned in the prior post, this large collection of houses was ordered by Dupont, as housing for their many workers.

Aladdin promoted itself to companies as a supplier of industrial housing. It was believed that providing housing for workers created a more stable workforce. And that was probably true. (1919 Aladdin catalog)

*

A close-up of the text from the 1919 catalog.

Aladdin Plymouth, as seen in the 1919 catalog

This Aladdin Plymouth does not have a fireplace (as shown above), but fireplaces were optional extras, and cost extra, too!

Floorplan for the Aladdin Plymouth shows it was also a fairly small house, but bigger than the Edison! Note, there is only one bedroom closet, and it's 2'6" by 3'. Not very spacious!

The Aladdin Burbank is another Aladdin kit home in this downtown section of Hopewell. There are countless "Burbanks" in this part of town.

The Burbank's floorplan shows it to be a much larger house than the Edison or the Plymouth.

Close-up of the Aladdin Burbank

It's a little rough around the edges, but there's no doubt that this is an Aladdin Burbank. Note the original windows!

Another Burbank in downtown Hopewell.

Some day, I’d love to go through Hopewell slowly and do a proper tally of all their kit homes. THere are about 50 of these houses in and around the downtown area. That’s a lot of kit homes!